The study of English develops children’s abilities to listen, speak, read and
write for a wide range of purposes, so using language to learn and communicate
ideas, views and feelings. It enables children to express themselves creatively
and imaginatively, as they become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories,
poetry and drama, as well as non-fiction and media texts. Children gain an
understanding of how language works by looking at its patterns, structures and
origins. Children use their knowledge, skills and understanding in speaking and
writing across a range of different situations.

The aims of English are:

·to enable children to speak clearly
and audibly in ways which take account of their listeners;

·to encourage children to listen
with concentration in order to be able to identify the main points of what they
have heard;

·to enable children to adapt their
speech to a wide range of circumstances and demands;

·to develop children’s abilities to
reflect on their own and others’ contributions and the language used;

·to enable children to evaluate
their own and others’ contributions through a range of drama activities;

·to encourage children to become
enthusiastic and reflective readers through contact with challenging and lengthy
texts;

·to help children enjoy writing and
recognise its value as a means of expression and communication.

·to enable children to write with
accuracy and meaning in narrative and non-fiction across a range of subjects.

·to increase the children’s ability
to use planning, drafting, editing and evaluating to improve their learning.

Teaching and learning style

At Long Melford
School we use a variety of teaching and learning styles in English
lessons, as recommended in the Primary Framework. Our principal aim is to
develop children’s knowledge, skills, and understanding in English. We do this
through lessons that have a high proportion of whole-class and group teaching.
During lessons children experience shared reading or writing, whole-class
focused word or sentence activities, guided group or independent activities and
whole-class sessions to review progress and learning. They have the opportunity
to experience a wide range of texts and use a range of resources such as
dictionaries, thesauruses and phonic programmes to support their learning.
Children use ICT in English lessons where it enhances their learning, as in
drafting their learning and using multimedia to study how words and images are
combined to convey meaning. Children use and apply their learning in other areas
of the curriculum.

There are children of differing ability in all classes atLong Melford PrimarySchool.
We recognise this fact and provide suitable learning opportunities for all
children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We
achieve this through a range of strategies. In some lessons we do it through
differentiated group learning, while in other lessons we ask children to work
from the same starting point before moving on to develop their own ideas. When
available we use teaching assistants to support some children and to enable
learning to be matched to the needs of individuals e.g.ELS.

English curriculum planning

English is a core subject in the National Curriculum. We use the National
Literacy Strategy as the basis for implementing the statutory requirements of
the programme of study for English thus it leads the remainder of the
curriculum.

We carry out the curriculum planning in English in three phases (long-term,
medium-term and short-term). The Primary Strategy provides the detail of
what we teach in the long-term. Our termly teaching programme identifies the key
objectives in literacy that we teach to each term.

Our medium-term (unit) plans are taken from the strategy and give details of the
main teaching objectives. These plans define what we teach and ensure an
appropriate balance and distribution of learning across each term. The English
subject leader is responsible for keeping and reviewing these plans.

Class teachers devise short-term plans as appropriate to their class needs.
These list the specific learning objectives for each unit and give details of
how the lessons are to be taught, they also includes details of what each group
of children will be learning. The class teacher keeps these individual plans,
and the class teacher and subject leader discuss them on an informal basis.

The Foundation Stage

We teach English in the reception class as an integral part of learning. The
format for the daily lesson is similar to that used in the rest of the school.
As the reception class is part of the Foundation Stage of the National
Curriculum, we relate the English aspects of the children’s learning to the
objectives set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage, which
underpin the curriculum planning for children from birth to five years. We give
all children the opportunity to talk and communicate in a widening range of
situations, to respond to adults and to each other, to listen carefully, and to
practise and extend their range of vocabulary and communication skills. They
have the opportunity to explore, enjoy, learn about, and use words and text in a
range of situations.

Contribution of English to teaching in other
curriculum areas

The skills that children develop in English are linked to, and applied in, every
subject of our curriculum. The children’s skills in reading, writing, speaking
and listening enable them to communicate and express themselves in all areas of
their learning in school.

Teaching English to children with special needs

At Long Melford
Primary School we teach English to all children, whatever their
ability. We do not discriminate on the grounds of disability, race or gender.
English forms part of the school curriculum policy to provide a broad and
balanced education to all children. Teachers provide learning opportunities
matched to the needs of children with learning difficulties. Learning in English
takes into account the targets set for individual children in their Individual
Education Plans (IEPs). Teachers provide help with communication and literacy
through:

using texts that children can read and
understand;

using visual and written materials in
different formats;

using ICT, other technological aids and taped
materials.

Assessment and recording (see assessment policy)

The coordinator keeps samples of children’s writing, from the moderated
assessment tasks, in a portfolio. This demonstrates what the expected level of
achievement is in English in each year of the school.

Resources

There is a range of resources to support the teaching of English across the
school. All classrooms have dictionaries and a range of age-appropriate small
apparatus. Each classroom has access to a tape/CD player and a range of audio
texts. All classrooms have a selection of fiction and non-fiction texts. Access
to the Internet is available in every teaching area. The library area contains a
range of books to support children’s individual research. Most classrooms are
equipped with interactive whiteboards.

Monitoring and review

Monitoring of the standards of the children’s learning and of the quality of
teaching in English is the responsibility of the English coordinator. The work
of the coordinator also involves supporting colleagues in the teaching of
English, being informed about current developments in the subject, and providing
a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school. The coordinator
has whenever possible, allocated time in order to enable a review of samples of
the children’s learning and undertakes lesson observations of English teaching
across the school.